Category Uncategorized

Matt Taylor led the way with four wickets as Gloucestershire recorded their second Specsavers County Championship win of the season with a 41-run success against Durham at Cheltenham

ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-20181:13

Somerset silence stubborn Worcestershire

ScorecardMatt Taylor led the way with four wickets as Gloucestershire recorded their second Specsavers County Championship win of the season with a 41-run success against Durham at Cheltenham. The left-arm seamer finished with 4 for 31 from 16 overs to help bowl out the visitors for 298, chasing a victory target of 340.Cameron Steel and Tom Latham gave Durham a promising start, but they wilted against Taylor, Craig Miles and Ryan Higgins on another sweltering afternoon and Mark Wood’s unbeaten 61 proved in vain.Gloucestershire took 23 points from their first Championship win since the opening round of fixtures, while their opponents had to be content with five after four days of tough and competitive cricket.Durham began the day on 35 without loss and enjoyed the better of the morning session. Latham and Steel took their opening stand to 94 against some accurate Gloucestershire bowling before Latham fenced at a ball from Matt Taylor and edged through to Gareth Roderick.Steel was unbeaten on 57 at lunch, with the total 121 for 1, but he when he perished in the second over after the interval, lbw to Miles falling across his stumps, it signalled a transformation in fortunes. Taylor and Higgins settled in to bowl probing spells from the Chapel End and College Lawn End respectively, tying the batsmen down and making vital breakthroughs.Higgins removed Graham Clark and Will Smith during a six-over spell that brought him 2 for 23, Clark falling to a fine full-length diving catch by Roderick and Smith pinned lbw.Taylor was equally impressive and claimed the key wicket of Ben Stokes, who had begun positively, but moved to only 9 before being bowled on the back foot. The same fate befell Stuart Poynter, on 8, and at 201 for 6, Durham still required a further 139.They were given renewed hope by Wood and Michael Richardson, who took the score to 226 for 6 at tea and continued to bat solidly in the final session. Wood was dropped on 18 by Miles Hammond at cover off Kieran Noema-Barnett and responded by hitting four fours in an over from Miles just before the second new ball.Richardson had helped add 59 when falling lbw for 26 looking to work Miles through the leg side. Soon it was 267 for 8 as Matt Salisbury was bowled on the back-foot by Miles for a single.Gloucestershire had their tails up, but while Wood was there Durham had a chance. He began to run out of partners when George Harding chipped a tame catch to midwicket off Taylor and departed for 7.Wood, who was able to bowl only six overs in the match because of a sore heel, moved to a defiant fifty off 74 balls, with nine fours. But when Chris Rushworth was caught behind to give Higgins his third wicket, Gloucestershire had won with 11 overs left in the day’s play.

The hosts have struggled against the concerted discipline of Afghanistan, but if they want to go 2-1 up, they need to attack

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu13-Jun-2017

Match facts

June 14, 2017
Start time 1430 local (1830 GMT)

Big Picture

If there ever was a time to rally round the West Indies, it is now. They are ranked No. 9 – one spot below the bar for direct entry into the 2019 World Cup – and even if they win this series against Afghanistan, they will finish with fewer points (78) than they had prior to its start (79).West Indies have 11 more ODIs before the cut-off date of September 30, but 10 of them are against India and England – both front-runners to win the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy. Considering their inconsistency, it ‘s looking increasingly likely that West Indies, the former two-time world champions, might have to enter a qualification round to even have a chance at winning another title.But before all that, they have to find a way past Afghanistan, or perhaps simply their legspinner Rashid Khan. In the first match, he took 7 for 18 to defend 212, followed by 3 for 26 in the second ODI to keep his side in the game for close to 40 overs, even though the target was only 136.A battery of the hosts’ easy-on-the-eye batsmen can do a lot better. After all, Evin Lewis cleaves the air itself when he cuts the ball, Roston Chase is so good he made Viv Richards chant his name and the first line on Jason Mohammed’s resume is “I led West Indies’ highest successful chase in ODIs”.The irony, though, is that every time the Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai steps up to speak, he says his bowling contingent can defend 200-odd. If West Indies had half of that belief in their strengths, they’d be alright.

Form guide

West Indies WLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan LWWLL

In the spotlight

A month ago, on a pitch with spiteful variations in bounce, Shai Hope had scored a match-winning, second-innings 90 for West Indies in Test cricket. Then, too, he had to deal with a legspinner, one whose variations are more threatening than his stock ball. But unlike Yasir Shah, Rashid bowls a lot faster and his action is different: somehow, even his legbreaks seem to come from the back of the hand. There’s trouble coming. But West Indies have Hope.Evin Lewis, at the top of the order, with his power-hitting ability, can break games open•WICB Media/Brooks LaTouche Photography Ltd

Afghanistan’s plan, it seems, is to bat first, put up a par score, bowl nice and tight in the early part of the chase and then befuddle the opposition with spin once the run-rate soars high enough. For the tourists to apply that scoreboard pressure on West Indies, Mohammad Nabi will be a key figure in the middle order. An experienced batsman, capable of batting through an innings, he will want to show it takes more than banging the ball halfway into the pitch to rattle his team.

Team news

Having won the last match by taking the insurance of an extra batsman, West Indies would’ve liked to stick with the same XI, but Shannon Gabriel is out of the final ODI courtesy a side strain he suffered during the second ODI. Kesrick Williams has replaced him in the squad. Williams is yet to make his ODI debut.West Indies (probable): 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Jason Mohammed, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Jonathan Carter, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Rovman Powell, 9 Ashley Nurse, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Kesrick WilliamsAfghanistan bat till No. 9, but they’d want to front up better against the short ball, which claimed nearly all their wickets in their previous game.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Noor Ali Zadran, 2 Javed Ahmadi, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 5 Samiullah Shenwari, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Afsar Zazai (wk), 8 Gulbadin Naib, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Amir Hamza, 11 Dawlat Zadran

Pitch and conditions

This will be the third match of the series at the Darren Sammy stadium in less than a week so there is a likelihood that a used pitch might be furnished. Hitting through the line might, again, not be fun. Weather wise, there is a chance of rain but it shouldn’t linger.

Stats and trivia

• Rashid’s performance in the series – 10 wickets at an average of 4.40, strike-rate of 11.2 and economy rate of 2.35 – has vaulted him 18 places to No. 7 on the ICC rankings for ODI bowlers
• West Indies’ opening partnership has been awful since the 2015 World Cup. They have used six players to average 24.24 – the worst out of 16 teams

Another dominant bowling performance followed by another effortless chase led Kolkata Knight Riders to their third win of the season, a six-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab that took them top of the table

The Report by Nikhil Kalro19-Apr-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRobin Uthappa’s first fifty of the season helped Kolkata Knight Riders to their third win•BCCI

Another dominant bowling performance followed by another effortless chase led Kolkata Knight Riders to their third win of the season, a six-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab that took them top of the table. Knight Riders’ bowling depth proved telling as their spinners ripped through Kings XI, who put in a sub-par batting performance, to keep them to 138 for 8. In the chase, Robin Uthappa’s quickfire fifty effectively sealed the game. It was the 12th win by a chasing team in 13 games this season.Put in to bat, Kings XI lost Manan Vohra early when he flicked Morne Morkel to deep square leg but M Vijay looked in rhythm, scything drives and cuts before failing to pick a googly from Piyush Chawla. A slow start was made slower when Wriddhiman Saha, promoted to No. 4, struggled in a 14-ball 8. Shaun Marsh, though, held one end up despite not being at his most fluent.The stage was set for either David Miller or Glenn Maxwell to fire their side back, but Knight Riders’ experienced bowling attack strangled Kings XI’s middle order. With two left-handers batting – Marsh and Miller – Gautam Gambhir turned to Yusuf Pathan for the first time this season. The move reaped rewards when Miller edged Yusuf’s first ball and Uthappa took a sharp catch. Maxwell tried a switch-hit off Sunil Narine soon after walking in, and Kings XI’s season was summed up when he picked out extra cover. Narine’s remodeled action returned two wickets in a frugal spell in which he only conceded 5.50 an over. From 94 for 5 in the 15th over, there was little Kings XI could do but rebuild.Marsh used swift footwork and was particularly effective square of the wicket on both sides. He got to his fifty in the last over with a sweetly-timed lofted drive over long-on. Along with Kyle Abbott, he took Andre Russell’s first over – the last of the innings – for 18 to lift Kings XI to 138.With that total, Kings XI needed early wickets to have any hope, but Uthappa and Gambhir denied them by hitting nine boundaries in a 65-run Powerplay, the most productive this season.The seamers, Sandeep Sharma and Abbott, were inconsistent, but even when they found their lengths, Uthappa cleared the infield with lofted strokes on the up on a pitch offering even bounce.Uthappa eased himself to his first fifty of the season, getting to the landmark in just 24 balls, before getting out to a premeditated sweep, playing around a full delivery from Pardeep Sahu. Gambhir looked set for another fifty before a leading edge was acrobatically taken by Glenn Maxwell, running in from deep midwicket.Axar Patel removed Manish Pandey and Shakib Al Hasan, but Knight Riders were too close to their target by then, and Suryakumar Yadav and Yusuf took them home with 17 balls to spare.

ESPNcricinfo previews the fifth ODI between England and Australia

The Preview by Alan Gardner15-Sep-2013

Match facts

September 16, Ageas Bowl
Start time 2pm (1300 GMT)England’s bowling clicked in the fourth one-dayer•PA Photos

Big Picture

England’s international season, which began with a Test against New Zealand on May 16, will reach its terminus down on the south coast with the deciding ODI of the series. Their opponents, Australia, have been here more than three months themselves (and will return home with a different coach), so there is likely to be an unavoidable sense of ‘school’s out’ come the presentation ceremony at the conclusion of the fifth one-dayer in Southampton.Despite poor weather scrubbing out two rubbers, the series is neatly poised at 1-1 after England’s improved display in Cardiff. An inexperienced attack made good use of the conditions, Eoin Morgan having won a useful toss, and the depth in the batting (plus a little magic from Jos Buttler) bailed them out after Clint McKay’s hat-trick. Some will say that the inclusion of a fourth genuine pace bowler might have kept Australia to an even smaller total but Morgan and Ashley Giles will feel some justification for continuing to back an experimental side.Despite having played some impressive cricket, Australia find themselves facing the possibility of another series defeat. Michael Clarke has only been involved in one international victory on the whole tour and his chances of leading the team to a morale-boosting triumph have been knocked by the news that his back – which prevented him from playing a part in the Champions Trophy – is playing up again. With yet more ODIs on the horizon (in India), ahead of the return Ashes, Australia won’t be taking any chances.Both teams may be a little battle weary but the prospect of an Ageas Bowl belter should perk up the batsmen, at least. If the rain stays away, we can justifiably hope for a carnival atmosphere and some six-hitting saturnalia to sign off the summer. Savour it, because there’s an almost ten-week gap before hostilities resume Down Under.

Form guide

England WLWLW (Completed matches, most recent first)
Australia LWWLL

Watch out for…

Boyd Rankin was added to England’s ODI squad as cover during the New Zealand series before making his debut in a T20 after the Champions Trophy. The former Ireland quick transferred his allegiance with a view to playing Test cricket – and his limited-overs inclusion was seen in some quarters as a ploy to seal the switch – but he has impressed hugely and his one-day returns could push him up the queue for a berth in England’s Ashes party.Another player who has pressed his Test credentials during the ODI series is Clarke’s vice-captain, George Bailey. His chances of coming into contention for a place in Australia’s Test middle order probably rest more heavily on early season Sheffield Shield form at home, but an ODI average pushing 50 won’t do any harm. Both of his knocks in this series have yielded 80s and he has been central to Australia’s plan to unsettle James Tredwell.

Team news

England have cleaved unwaveringly to this XI through the series and it is a fair bet they will continue to stick rather than twist. Chris Jordan and Jamie Overton have patiently waited for debuts but could find themselves carrying the drinks again.England (possible) 1 Michael Carberry, 2 Kevin Pietersen, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Joe Root, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Ben Stokes, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Boyd RankinShaun Marsh has been ruled out after straining a hamstring in Cardiff, so Phillip Hughes will come in as a like-for-like replacement at the top of the order. Clarke will be assessed in the morning, with Glenn Maxwell providing cover. Spinners on both sides took a bit of punishment in the T20 in Southampton but Fawad Ahmed could return for Nathan Coulter-Nile, depending on conditions.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 George Bailey, 6 Adam Voges, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Nathan Coulter-Nile/Fawad Ahmed, 11 Clint McKay

Pitch and conditions

Aaron Finch will have fond memories of the Ageas Bowl pitch, having battered England like a piñata in the first T20 last month, piling up a world-record 156. In recent times, Ian Bell, Hashim Amla and Martin Guptill have all played memorable ODI knocks on the ground, although a mixed forecast for Monday could give the bowlers some encouragement.

Stats and trivia

• If England win the match – and with it the series – they will move above Australia to second in the one-day rankings.
• Only Ian Bell has scored more ODI runs at the Ageas (formerly Rose) Bowl than Eoin Morgan’s 322 at 80.50.
• In his first 14 ODI innings, Joe Root reached double figures on every occasion; in his last four, he has recorded three single-figure scores, including a first duck.
• Josh Hazlewood made his debut against England in Southampton three years ago.

Quotes

“He’s taken a huge amount of responsibility on shoulders for such a young guy and he’s come up trumps. He’s certainly been one of our finds for the series.”
“He’s a huge part of our team and he deserves this. It’s a pretty good hat-trick to have – some good players in there.”

Mushfiqur Rahim knows what he is up against on Tuesday, but held out a brave front

Abhishek Purohit in Pallekele24-Sep-2012You summoned incredible courage once and beat up the school bully back in class five, but it doesn’t help if till then, and thereafter, he has thrashed you every single time. The memory of that one triumph might even start to fade with each successive failure. In 44 meetings, Bangladesh have defeated Pakistan all of once, in the 1999 World Cup. It’s been more than 13 years and 37 losses since that heady Northampton evening. The unfortunate part for Bangladesh is, even a win, unlikely as it seems, may not be enough to keep them in the tournament. Nothing less than a comprehensive victory will do.Mushfiqur Rahim knows what he is up against on Tuesday, but held out a brave front. “It is difficult but not an impossible task,” Mushfiqur said. “It is Twenty20, and England were bowled out last night for 80 [against India]. Who would have thought? Pakistan are good but not unbeatable. If we play our best cricket tomorrow, if everyone puts their hands up and shows guts anything is possible. We know where we have to improve and to how go about it tomorrow.”He also said something which rings true on the other side, considering the kind of rumblings the 1999 loss caused in Pakistan. “There’s pressure in every game. They’d think in the same way. Pakistan don’t want to lose against us, that is for sure. We have to come hard and we will give our best shot.”Bangladesh rely so much on their spinners but the fact that they played on a fresh pitch against New Zealand, and will do the same tomorrow, has forced Mushfiqur to consider playing another quick bowler. “I thought we made a mistake in the first game as the wicket was not that helpful for the left-arm spinners. We thought there would be something in the day. That is why we choose to field. We didn’t bowl well also.”We are looking at a fresh wicket tomorrow and it is also a night game. We have a few seaming all-round and pace bowling options. Probably we will have one more [quick] bowler in place of a spinner. We will come back tomorrow, have a look at the wicket again and see how it goes.”Mushfiqur said Bangladesh are in a tough group, with New Zealand and Pakistan, but said tomorrow was a chance to perform against another top side. “It brings a big challenge for us. They have great strength in their bowling and their batting is also good. It is one more opportunity, a do-or-die game for us. We have nothing to lose. Our boys did not put their hands up in the previous game, hopefully we will learn from our mistakes.”Fresh pitch or not, Mushfiqur knows Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez will be a handful. “He’s [Ajmal] a big factor. He will start bowling in the Powerplay when we have to take some risks. We can’t play all their bowlers normally, but attack some. We have players for that, and we are planning in that way.”Bangladesh have Saqlain Mushtaq, the former Pakistan offspinner, travelling with them as spin-bowling consultant. He’s been giving tips to the spinners in the squad and has also bowled to the Bangladesh batsmen during training. “He is telling us how to read Ajmal, Afridi, [Umar] Gul and Hafeez. But the application of it will depend on us.”The last time these two sides met, Bangladesh came within one stroke of winning the Asia Cup in Mirpur in what was ultimately an emotional loss. Mushfiqur said that was a different format and admitted Bangladesh would not have the same kind of confidence they had that night in Mirpur. A more revealing stat is that after beating West Indies in their opening game of the World Twenty20in 2007, Bangladesh have lost nine successive matches in the event. It is almost as distressing as their record against Pakistan. They are up against a lot of history tomorrow.

The series is less than a week old, but it will be decided by Tuesday night if Australia continue their winning form after comfortably taking the first two matches

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale15-Aug-2011

Match facts

Australia’s one-day record under Michael Clarke is very strong•Associated Press

August 16, Hambantota
Start time 14:30 (9:00 GMT, 19:00 EST)

Big Picture

The series is less than a week old, but it will be decided by Tuesday night if Australia continue their winning form after comfortably taking the first two matches. The eight-wicket victory in Hambantota on Sunday was almost a carbon copy of the opening win in Pallekele: Sri Lanka won the toss and batted poorly, failing to see out their overs, and then couldn’t build any pressure on Australia in the chase. They must find their batting mojo if they are to keep the series alive heading in to the Colombo, where the final two matches will be played.Sri Lanka’s problem has been finding the right tempo. In the opening game, they went too hard and in the second match they were too cautious. Perhaps it will be third time lucky. Kumar Sangakkara looked solid in making a half-century on Sunday but he needs support from the three other key members of the top order: the openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga, and the No. 4 Mahela Jayawardene. Maybe when Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga and company have a decent target to defend they can impart some pressure on Australia’s batsmen.For the visitors, all has gone swimmingly, apart from Brad Haddin’s struggle for form at the top of the order. Wickets have come from Doug Bollinger, Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee, and the spinners have done their job of keeping things tight. Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke have all been in the runs, and overall the side has been much more switched on than Sri Lanka. The question is, how will they fare if Sri Lanka find their spark?

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLWLL
Australia WWWWW

In the spotlight

A couple of former captains, Ricky Ponting and Kumar Sangakkara, have already posted half-centuries in this series, but Sri Lanka need some runs from another ex-skipper. Mahela Jayawardene hasn’t looked at his best in the first two games, flashing at a wide ball from Mitchell Johnson and edging behind in the first, and top-edged a sweep in the second. But he is a class act, and it was only a few months ago that he scored a century in a World Cup final. A strong innings from Jayawardene would go a long way to getting Sri Lanka back into the series.Everything has gone right for Michael Clarke so far in this series. In fact, ever since he took over the captaincy full time. He’s led Australia to five wins from five games and his leadership in the field has been confident and well thought-out. The initial signs are positive for the post-Ponting era. Most importantly, he has been scoring runs and now has a pair of half-centuries in Sri Lanka to add to his 101 in Bangladesh in his first match in charge. As a steady presence in the middle order, he’ll be an important player throughout the rest of the tour.

Team news

Angelo Mathews is in doubt for the fixture, reportedly due to the return of the quad trouble that has affected him since the World Cup. Suraj Randiv made way for Rangana Herath in the second match, but Herath had no impact with the ball and could be back on the sidelines for the third game. The batting is Sri Lanka’s major concern, so they need to decide whether to stick with the existing line-up or bring in Chamara Silva, perhaps at the expense of Dinesh Chandimal or Jeevan Mendis.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Dinesh Chandimal / Chamara Silva, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Lasith Malinga.Australia’s line-up has worked well in the first two matches, and there is no reason to make any changes while the series remains alive. Steven Smith hasn’t batted and has barely been required to bowl, but the Australians like his versatility and the energy he brings in the field, so he is expected retain his position.Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Brad Haddin (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Michael Hussey, 6 David Hussey, 7 Steven Smith, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Xavier Doherty, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Pitch and conditions

The Hambantota pitch was slow and low, and didn’t have much grass on it, and was described by Clarke as a good wicket for batting. The players will be hoping the wind has died down by Tuesday, after Sunday’s match was played in extremely breezy conditions.

Stats and trivia

• Mahela Jayawardene will become the seventh man to play 350 one-day internationals
• Australia have now won 23 of the 29 ODIs they have played under Michael Clarke’s captaincy
• So far in the series, Sri Lanka have lost 20 wickets, while Australia have lost five

Quotes

“We have to work on the batting … work hard, come back strong.”
“There’s still a long way to go but these first two games have been very impressive both with the ball and with the bat.”

Senior figures in South African cricket have played down reports that allegations of spot-fixing marring Pakistan’s tour of England had made South Africa’s cricketers reluctant to play Pakistan in the UAE next month

Telford Vice19-Sep-2010Senior figures in South African cricket have played down reports that allegations of spot-fixing marring Pakistan’s tour of England had made South Africa’s cricketers reluctant to play Pakistan in the UAE next month.”I haven’t heard anyone saying they won’t play,” Andrew Hudson, CSA’s convenor of selectors, told ESPNcricinfo. “We should be announcing the squad next week, and it’s business as usual.”When asked what he would do if, as reported in the UK’s , some of South Africa’s senior players wanted to pull out of the tour, Hudson said, “If players don’t want to play, I’ll be happy to leave them out.”One of those senior players told ESPNcricinfo the South Africans, who are no strangers to the dangers of match-fixing in the wake of the Hansie Cronje scandal, were anxious that action should be taken against Pakistan if the spot-fixing allegations were proved. “As long as the right steps are taken, it will be OK to play against Pakistan,” the player said. “But the ICC needs to eradicate this from the game because it’s hurting all of us.”Despite his strongly expressed views, he ruled out players refusing to tour because of alleged corruption in the game. “I haven’t heard guys saying they won’t tour, and I’m fine to follow whatever advice we get from the ICC and Cricket South Africa.”Gerald Majola, CSA’s chief executive, had told ESPNcricinfo that no player had expressed reservations to the board about participating in the series and there was no reason to call off the tour.South Africa are scheduled to play a Twenty20 international, five ODIs and two Tests against Pakistan during a tour of the UAE starting on October 27 and ending on November 24.

Carse, Atkinson and Bashir star with the ball after England send New Zealand in

Andrew Miller27-Nov-2024 New Zealand 319 for 8 (Williamson 93, Latham 47, Phillips 41*, Bashir 4-69) vs EnglandKane Williamson blended grit and flourish to make 93 from 197 balls on his return to New Zealand’s ranks, but his rare failure to convert such a promising start proved to be a microcosm of his team’s day, as England overcame a misleadingly placid deck to pick off eight prime wickets in their series opener at Christchurch.Thanks to Glenn Phillips, who batted through to the close on 41 not out, including an eighth-wicket stand of 46 from 56 balls with Matt Henry, New Zealand finished the day with their innings, and their hopes, very much intact. But on a surface that is renowned for getting better as the match wears on, England will believe – after their recent exploits on a flat deck in Multan – that they can cash in when their own turn comes.It had looked, from the outset, to be a crucial toss to win, as Ben Stokes called correctly on a green-tinged surface that had been kept fresh by spells of rain in the build-up to the match. But after choosing to bowl first, the anticipated early movement failed to materialise for England’s quicks, and instead it was the spinner Shoaib Bashir, with 4 for 69 in 20 overs, who emerged as their principle source of wickets.England were indebted, too, to another wholehearted showing from Brydon Carse, whose extraction of a fluent Tom Latham was the key moment of the morning session, as well as another no-nonsense display from their find of the year Gus Atkinson, who picked off the dangerous Devon Conway in his very first over, then returned in the evening to dislodge Williamson with some extra lift outside off, as he fell in the 90s for the first time in 14 innings spanning six years.Most of all, though, England owed their promising position to New Zealand’s lack of killer instinct, with each of their eight wickets proving complicit, to a greater or lesser extent, in their own downfalls. England were far from passive observers, however, with Carse’s optimistic aggression, backed up by Stokes’ typically proactive fields, epitomising a display that successfully shook off much of the fatalism that set in during their last two Tests in Pakistan.Shoaib Bashir had Tom Blundell caught at point•Joe Allison/Getty Images

While Williamson was marshalling New Zealand’s day, however, there were plenty of reasons to question England’s decision to bowl first. Having missed their triumphant tour of India with a groin strain, he was his usual phlegmatic self from the moment he arrived at the end of the second over, following Atkinson’s sharp return catch to dislodge Conway for 2, and though he struggled to assert himself at times – particularly against the energetic Carse, who struck him in the grille on 28 in a torrid early spell, and again on the badge as he moved into the 90s – he found the will to endure, and the gumption to step up his tempo whenever the opportunity arose.Williamson took 14 balls to register his first run, and 47 for his first boundary until Stokes – struggling, as with all the seamers, to land his front foot in the greasy morning conditions – banged in a half-tracker to be pulled with aplomb through midwicket. The captain’s mood was not improved in his final over of the session, when Rachin Ravindra, on 20, pressed forward to a good length outside off, and got away with a slender edge that was only revealed after the event on Ultra-Edge. Neither bowler nor keeper even appealed.In the end, that let-off didn’t prove too costly. Bashir was thrown the ball for the 30th over, in the first half-hour after lunch, and duly struck in his second over, as Ravindra looked to give him the charge but could only toe-end a dipping full toss to midwicket. His agonised look to the heavens betrayed the extent to which he’d given his start away, and confirmed the sense that this was a very good track for batting.Williamson wasn’t about to make the same mistake. He took on the threat of Carse with a calculated double-whammy – a short-arm pull for four then a languid drive down the ground off the anticipated fuller length – and having got his innings moving, he rushed through to his half-century with consecutive pulled fours off Bashir, who looked threatening whenever he hit his length outside off but was all too prone to drifting down the leg-side.By tea he was within sight of his 33rd Test hundred, and New Zealand – at 193 for 3 – were one good partnership from taking firm control of the contest. Instead, the errors came in a cluster, with their next four wickets falling for just 59 runs.Daryl Mitchell had been a solid foil in a fourth-wicket stand of 69, but was picked off for 19 just ten balls into the evening session, as Carse returned to the attack with a packed leg-side field and a diet of bumpers, and induced a spliced pull to Harry Brook at deep third.Williamson’s extraction was the killer blow, however. Atkinson had struggled for rhythm ever since his first-over wicket, with seven no-balls in the course of his 17 overs. However, his ability to hassle well-set batters is becoming one of his most notable traits. The ball that did for Williamson was short and reasonably wide, and apparently ripe to be cut for four. But his skiddy trajectory found some priceless extra bounce, and Zak Crawley at backward point swallowed the offering with glee.Tom Blundell, out of form but battling hard for his 17 runs, then produced a similar error of judgement to hand Bashir his second wicket, whereupon the debutant Nathan Smith turned a leg-sided offbreak to Joe Root at leg gully to depart for 3. Phillips then responded by dumping Bashir over the ropes for the day’s solitary six, but when Henry tried something similar with the new ball looming, he could only pick out Ben Duckett at long-on, to put a seal on a hard-fought day.

Teenager Allison, playing his third first-team innings, shines

ECB Reporters Network11-Aug-2023Charlie Allison struck a maiden half-century in only his third first-team innings to help Essex pull off an extraordinary first victory of the season in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.The 18-year-old younger brother of seamer Ben lived up to his promise in the second eleven with a mature knock of 70 that included three sixes and even outshone his captain Tom Westley’s patient 80 from 90 balls.However, Middlesex looked well on track to record their own first win of the campaign when they reached 236 for 3 with 15 overs left chasing 299 to win.But despite Mark Stoneman setting the foundations for their reply with a dozen fours and two sixes in a 97-ball 93, Middlesex collapsed to lose by three runs with seven balls left to the delight of a large Chelmsford crowd.And it was Allison whose throw from the third-man boundary ran out Ethan Bamber as the final Middlesex pair tried to steal the runs to decide the match.Middlesex had 100 on the board inside the 15 overs of their reply with Stoneman reaching his fifty from just 39 balls. It included two sixes, one scooped off Aaron Beard and another pulled off Jamie Porter. He might have perished there and then had Michael Pepper’s throw been more accurate into the wicketkeeper’s gloves.He capitalised on the reprieve with an extravagant reverse-sweep for four off Simon Harmer. James Cracknell had been slightly overshadowed in the stand of 124, though he took two successive boundaries off Harmer before he was brilliantly caught in the covers by Robin Das for 48.The wicket had no significant impact on Middlesex’s progress and they were halfway to their target in 22 overs, though Sam Robson was dropped on 20 at backward point by Das.Essex thought they had Robson soon after for a catch behind off Beau Webster that left umpire Paul Nicholls unmoved and the bowler showing his frustration by slamming the ball to the ground. Robson was finally removed for 26, driving at Aaron Beard and being bowled.Stoneman’s stay eight minutes shy of two hours was ended when he swung Beard to Porter on the deep fine-leg boundary.At that point Middlesex threatened to implode with three wickets going down in 14 balls. Jack Davies was bamboozled by one from Harmer before Ryan Higgins dragged on from Webster and Luke Hollman was run out without facing a ball. It got worse when Josh de Caires was bowled by Porter to leave Middlesex still 42 runs short with 10 overs remaining.Martin Andersson had helped Simpson take them within nine runs of victory when he was bowled by Webster. He was followed, two runs later, by Simpson, bowled by Westley. And then came the unlikely denouement.On a pitch that took spin early on, de Caires’s three wickets in eight balls halted an Essex onslaught led by Pepper, who took a liking to Middlesex debutant Isaan Kaushal, hitting him for four fours and a six over extra cover before the 21-year-old seamer was withdrawn from the attack. However, when Kaushel returned late on he claimed his maiden first-team wicket when Will Buttleman picked out deep mid-on.Pepper swept de Caires’s first ball for his sixth boundary but fell next ball for an 18-ball 31 to a stupendous running catch over his shoulder at deep long leg by Andersson. Das then pulled de Caires invitingly to deep square leg, and two balls later Webster advanced too far and turned in dismay to see John Simpson removing the bails.Luc Benkenstein helped steady the ship in a 55-run partnership with Westley. But after lofting de Caires for six over long leg, he took a wild swipe at Luke Hollman, who then had Harmer playing all round one to be lbw.Westley’s innings had few thrills, though he carved Robson through extra cover for his sixth boundary the ball before he was beaten by one that turned from outside off and took middle stump.Allsion had played calmly alongside Westley but cut loose once his captain had departed. He reached his fifty from 59 balls with a six to long-off in a Robson over that also went for a maximum over long-leg by Buttleman. Allison’s 65-ball innings ended when he played over a ball from Bamber.

Comfortable five-wicket win as Northamptonshire take control at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network07-Jun-2022 Northamptonshire 155 for 5 (cobb 70) beat Derbyshire 151 for 9 (Taylor 4-27) by five wickets Northamptonshire Steelbacks captain Josh Cobb struck 70 from just 44 balls, his highest score of this Vitality Blast season to help his side chase down 152 and earn a five-wicket victory over Derbyshire Falcons with 11 balls to spare.Cobb, deprived of opportunities this season by Chris Lynn’s power-hitting, picked up the mantle after the Australian fell to a rare first-ball duck. Playing a belligerent innings, he struck six fours and three maximums before Rob Keogh took the Steelbacks over the line.Earlier Tom Taylor took three wickets in an over as the Steelbacks’ bowlers restricted Derbyshire Falcons to a modest total. Wayne Masden was the only batter to offer any real resistance with 37.The Falcons were kept to 40 for two at the end of the powerplay. Luis Reece swung one high over deep midwicket in the first over but Taylor and Ben Sanderson applied the brakes, backed up well by some sharp Steelbacks fielding.Reece attempted to up the scoring rate but miscued a big shot against Taylor and offered a steepler of a catch to Neesham at midwicket. Shan Masood fell shortly afterwards to an astonishing running catch by Keogh on the boundary at backward square off Sanderson.Hayden Kerr (29 off 22 balls), promoted to number three, looked assured and put on 39 for the third wicket with Leus du Plooy (19). Any hope of building a big total fell away though when the Falcons lost three wickets for 16 runs in as many balls to stutter to 80 for five at the end of the twelfth over.First du Plooy hit Freddie Heldreich straight to Taylor on the long-off boundary before Kerr holed out at deep midwicket off Jimmy Neesham. Brooke Guest then gave Heldreich his second scalp caught at point.The Falcons went four overs before scoring another boundary as Madsen and Alex Hughes rebuilt. Hughes finally cleared the square leg boundary dispatching the ball into the gardens of the neighbouring terraced houses.Masden survived two dropped catches off Sanderson but Taylor struck back in the next over. First he removed both set batsmen who both fell to catches by Cobb at cover before knocking back Mattie McKiernan’s stumps. With a run-out off the last ball, the Falcons finished on 151 for nine.An expectant Wantage Road crowd were momentarily hushed when Lynn, fresh from his heroics in the previous two Steelbacks home games, edged behind off the first ball of the chase bowled by Kerr.Cobb though started aggressively, clubbing Kerr over mid off and then cutting him for consecutive boundaries.He slog swept George Scrimshaw over deep midwicket for six and hit Watt down the ground for another to take the Steelbacks to 53 for one at the end of the powerplay.He rode his luck at times, offering two sharp chances which the Falcons failed to hold. Later he was caught on the ropes only for the fielder’s boot to touch the rope in the process.He had put on 55 with Ben Curran before his partner fell to a catch behind square off Scrimshaw when Conners took a well-judged catch sliding on his knees to get to the ball. Saif Zaib made only six before he offered a catch behind off an attempted pull shot.Cobb meanwhile advanced to his half century reaching the landmark off 31 balls. He continued in belligerent fashion crunching the ball through the covers and playing some deft cut shots before finally falling off a thick edge to Conners at deep point off Scrimshaw to leave the Steelbacks on 102 for four in the 13th over.Neesham hit 20 before he fell to a catch at long-on but Keogh held his nerve, finishing with an undefeated 28 off 24 deliveries.